Love that Transcends Lifetimes
by perilousgard
Summary: This is my collection of oneshots from Kataang Week 2012.
1. Kisses in Caves

_Over the next several days, you'll probably see me post a lot of stories up here. I've been writing a lot, but my work hits tumblr before it hits anywhere else, just because the fanbase seems to be way more active over there. Actually, the main reason I still post here is for archival reasons. Overall I just feel like this site was way more popular about seven years ago and it has since declined. But maybe I'm wrong and people just don't want to read my stuff. /sobs_

_Anyway, have some Kataang_

"I have a crazy idea."

Aang glanced at her in the dim light. It was damp and musty inside the tomb, and as much as he hated being holed up underground, away from the free air, he had to admit he wasn't terribly excited to hear that Katara had come up with an idea to get out. This was the most time he had spent alone with her since…ever, really. Sure, they were trapped in a seemingly endless labyrinth, but he was free to look at her however he wanted without having to worry about her brother catching him – and it was too easy to get away with considering their lack of light. "What?" he asked curiously, shifting his hands behind his back as he turned to face her.

But she had turned away from him, placing her hand on the wall. The torchlight still illuminated the warm brown highlights in her hair, and danced off the ancient stone carving of the two lovers. "Never mind, it's too crazy." He wasn't sure, but he thought she sounded a bit nervous, which only made him that much more curious. That, and the fact that a "crazy" idea for Katara had to be something pretty unorthodox. She was usually the most level-headed of the group.

"Katara, what is it?" he asked, watching her carefully.

She hesitated briefly. "I was thinking…the curse says we'll be trapped in here forever unless we trust in love."

"Right…" Aang said, rocking back on his heels a little.

"And here it says 'love is brightest in the dark'," she continued, holding out the torchlight and turning halfway towards him again, "and…has a picture of them kissing." Now there was a definite note of uneasiness, almost shyness, in her tone, and Aang felt his heart thump painfully against his chest.

"Where are you going with this?" he asked, wondering if he was way off course with how his mind was following her line of thinking.

"Well…what if we kissed?" Her eyes slid to his, flickering in the firelight, and he noticed that her cheeks were bright red.

Aang was so shocked by the suggestion that all he could do for a long moment was gape at her. Katara shifted uncomfortably and turned away again. "See? Too crazy, right?"

"N-no!" he got out, taking a few steps toward her. "I-I mean…yes, it's crazy. But…not _too _crazy."

She peered back at him. "It isn't?"

He shook his head. "It's, um…worth a try, isn't it? Not like we have any other ideas…"

Katara nodded slowly, chewing on her lip a bit. "Yeah, right, we don't, do we? It just made sense in my head…"

She was moving closer. Aang swallowed hard, wondering why his mouth suddenly felt so dry. She looked beautiful, even covered in the dust from the rock slide. If he was perfectly honest, he had wanted to kiss her since the first day he met her. Of course, he had rather hoped that when – _if_ – it happened, he wouldn't be stuttering and blushing like he was now, but he felt slightly better knowing that Katara was nervous, too.

"So…I guess we should…"

"Yeah," Aang replied, reaching out to place his hand on the torch as it hovered in front of him. His hand brushed against hers; her fingers were soft and warm, and the contact was slightly electric. He looked up at her as she leaned in a little. They had never been this close…her eyes were even prettier at this distance, threatening to swallow him up whole as they stared into his. Aang rose up slightly on his toes, wishing that he was taller – not for the first time. What if this was her first kiss? What if he was bad at it? What if she'd kissed Jet before him, or even Haru? They were both older, and probably more experienced, and how was he supposed to ever compare to –

But then her mouth was brushing his, and every other thought left his head entirely. Her lips were light, hesitant, and Aang felt his hand tremble slightly on the torch. He puckered his mouth against hers, not sure if he was even doing it right, and Katara leaned in more, pressing her lips more firmly against his own. Aang felt like he was dreaming. Her kiss was causing his brain to go all foggy, like he was being affected by some kind of drug or poison. If they didn't have a ball of fire between them, he would have melted against her completely. And just when his mouth began to move curiously against hers, Katara abruptly pulled away, leaving him puckered up and with a ridiculously dreamlike expression on his face.

She looked around, like she was waiting for something magical to happen, and cleared her throat awkwardly when it didn't. "I guess that…didn't work."

"No, I guess not," Aang replied, intensely proud of himself when his voice didn't shake.

"L-let's keep moving then," she said, pulling the torch away from his grip and walking away.

He stared after her, not trusting himself to move at that moment. He wasn't sure why, but the only thought he could manage to produce right then was something Katara had said to him months ago, just before they saw that fortune teller.

"_Aang's just a good friend, a sweet little guy. Just like Momo!"_

His heart began to slowly sink in his chest as he watched her wander off, looking for another way out. What if that was it? What if that was the first and only kiss he ever shared with Katara, because she only thought of him as a friend? Sure, she had been flustered, but it _was _awkward asking your best friend to kiss you, just in case that would save you from starving to death inside a cave. It had to be even more awkward when your best friend was just a little kid.

But with that kiss, Katara had sealed her own fate. Aang was in love with her, and that wasn't going to go away. Even if she never returned his feelings, even if she ended up with someone else…The thought made his throat feel impossibly tight, but he knew it for the truth. Katara was everything, she was…_forever. _

"Aang?" she called from some distance away.

"Coming," he called back quietly, and walked through the darkness toward her light.


	2. Something to Talk About

_A bit random, but I enjoyed writing this. For Day 2- Complications._

"Aang, I think I've changed my mind. I don't think I can do this."

He glanced back at her, silhouetted in the dying sunlight, and offered her a comforting smile. "Come on, Katara. How many times have you flown on Appa?"

"This is different and you know it!" she protested, hovering on the edge of the cliff. She felt just like she had at the other air temples they had visited: anxious and unsettled. Being so high in the air didn't bother her so much anymore thanks to their constant use of Appa, but being so close to the edge of _nothing _like this unnerved her. She started to take a step back.

And froze when Aang caught her hand. Her own felt cool and clammy in his warm one, and a little tingle shot through her as he curled his fingers around hers.

"Katara, just trust me. I wouldn't ever let you fall."

She smiled shyly, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks. "Okay. I trust you."

With a slight shake, the wings of his glider slid out, and Aang positioned himself on it before tugging her in closer to him. Her blush deepened as his hand fell to her waist and brought her nearly flush against him. She didn't think they had ever been this close…not even when he had kissed her at the invasion. The memory of the kiss made Katara brush her fingers unconsciously against her lips.

"Are you ready?" he asked. At her slow nod, he grinned. "Hold on to me."

She curled her own arm around his waist and couldn't help squeezing her eyes shut as he leapt away from the crumbling temple and took to the open air. The familiar swooping sensation in her gut was unpleasant, and she must have stiffened a little because Aang's grip tightened on her waist.

"Katara, open your eyes," he coaxed, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I've got you, I promise."

After a moment, Katara did open her eyes – and gasped.

Even through the thick layers of fog they were flying over, the steep mountains were still plainly visible, spreading out over the land as far as she could see. In the light of the sunset, they were bathed in shades of orange and blue. They looked very far away, and Katara felt miniscule as she gazed at them, but while she was held so tightly against Aang's body, she was feeling less afraid by the moment. She was struck by the thought that long ago, hundreds of airbenders probably filled these skies every day, moving in between bands of fading light. This was probably where Aang felt most comfortable: in places like this, that reminded him of home.

"Still scared?" he asked, and she turned her head to find his face so close to hers that a slight shift would bump their noses together.

"No…I think I'm okay now," she said, tightening her grip on him a little. Aang beamed in response.

As they flew, Katara remembered what it felt like to let the wind carry her. She'd done it once before, at their visit to the Northern Air Temple, but that had happened so long ago now that she had forgotten the sensation. Flying with Aang was slightly different than flying the contraption Teo had given her, because Aang could control the air currents himself. Their ride was smooth and steady, which she knew he was doing for her sake. She was amazed at how easily he could control his bending without even moving his hands.

The sun was starting to sink below the horizon as Aang brought them in for a landing on one of the mountains that faced the Western Temple. Katara couldn't help feeling a little relieved when her feet touched the ground again, even though she had enjoyed the ride. He caught the look on her face and smiled gently. She smiled back without a second thought.

"It's nice to see you smiling again," he said, surprising her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you haven't done it much since Zuko showed up."

A scowl darkened her features. "Yeah, because I still don't trust him."

Aang sighed. "There's something different about him. I'm not saying I absolutely trust him, either…but he seems very earnest about trying to help us."

Katara crossed her arms, turning away from him a little. "Did we come out here to talk about Zuko?"

"No," he replied, almost cautiously. She heard him shift his feet a little against the rocky ground. "I wanted to talk to you about something else."

"What is it?" she asked, sliding her eyes over to him without turning her head.

Aang hesitated for a moment. "I wanted to talk about what happened at the invasion."

Katara froze, her heart leaping uncomfortably in her throat. She tried to swallow around it, pushing down the sudden onslaught of nerves. The worst part of this was, there was nowhere for her to escape to. He had isolated her, and she could no longer run away.

He didn't have to say anything more for her to know that he was talking about the kiss. It had been several weeks since the invasion, and this wasn't the first time that Aang had tried to confront her about what had happened. In fact, he had tried just the other day, while she was outside the temple working on her waterbending. She had skirted the topic and used the first excuse she could come up with to put some distance between them, and she knew he had been hurt without turning back to look at his face. It made her feel guilty, but her anxiety and uncertainty about the subject had outweighed her guilt by far. It was just easier to avoid it altogether.

"I-I don't know what you mean," she started, and immediately wanted to kick herself for saying something so stupid.

"Yes you do, Katara," said Aang firmly, and she felt like his eyes were burning holes in the back of her head. "I kissed you. And you kissed me back. I thought…I thought it meant…"

"Thought it meant what?" she asked quietly, peeking at him through her hair.

"I thought it meant we were going to be together," he admitted, his eyes falling to his shoes.

She bit her lip. The thought of being _together _with Aang in the way that he implied made her heart flutter in her chest. She loved him – she knew this now, had known it since the day Azula's lightning had struck him down – but she hadn't told him. When he had kissed her, she had been surprised, but not too surprised to kiss him back. She had been sure of her feelings for a long time, but instead of acting on them like he had, she had let them fester inside of her.

And she wasn't going to tell him about them.

"We can't be together," she said, her voice so soft that she barely heard it herself. Somehow, Aang caught every word. His face crumbled, and he stared at her brokenly. Katara closed her eyes briefly, not wanting to see it.

"Why not?"

"Because, I…I'm just not sure, Aang." She curled her fingers anxiously into her hair, feeling like she just needed something to do with her hands. "Okay? This isn't the time to be talking about this."

"I don't see what time could possibly be better," he said adamantly, taking a few steps toward her.

She immediately whirled on him, her pent-up emotions getting the best of her. "Gee, I don't know, Aang. Maybe after you defeat the firelord? You know, that big, important thing that's only a few weeks away?"

He looked like she had struck him. The color drained out of his face, and his eyes filled with hurt. Katara immediately tried to backpedal.

"Aang…I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"No…maybe you're right." He cut her off before she could properly string her words together. "Maybe the guru was right, too…maybe I should have let you go. I'm the Avatar, and my duty is to the world first."

Katara's breath caught in her throat. What was he talking about? "You mean the guru who taught you to master the Avatar State?"

Aang nodded woodenly. "I never mastered it. I couldn't open the last chakra. And because of that…I can't even go into the Avatar State anymore."

She nodded; this was something he'd told them about before, but he had never really gone into much detail. "Why couldn't you open the last chakra?" she asked gently. Katara wasn't even sure what a chakra _was_, but she imagined it had something to do with the energy used to control the Avatar State.

"Because," he replied, with a heavy sigh, "I couldn't let you go."

Confusion drew her eyebrows together. "What do you mean? What do I have to do with anything?"

"Everything, Katara," said Aang, sounding frustrated. "The last chakra is blocked by earthly attachment. _You're _the one who attaches me to this world. The guru told me unless I let you go, I couldn't allow the cosmic energy to flow through my body."

Her cheeks felt hot again. Unable to look at him any longer, Katara's eyes dropped to her feet. "You…couldn't master the Avatar State because of me?"

"I had a vision that you were in trouble, so I left to help you," Aang explained. "That's why the chakra was locked. I couldn't just ignore you…"

She swallowed hard. "And now you're saying that…you should have let me go."

The bitterness she could hear in her own voice filled her with shame. It was _her fault _that Aang couldn't go into the Avatar State – a defense that had helped them out of some major binds in the past, and would surely be helpful in the future – but the selfish part of her was happy that he hadn't been able to let her go. What would that have meant? Would he have stopped caring about her altogether? Would he even still be her friend? The possibility of losing him to some stupid cosmic energy made her feel lost and empty inside. Even though she couldn't tell him how she felt…she couldn't stand the idea of him not feeling the same way.

After a moment, Aang nodded. "Being the Avatar is about putting the needs of the world before your own needs. That's what the guru was trying to teach me…I just couldn't listen. So yes…I should have let you go."

Katara closed her eyes and fought back the tears that suddenly swam up behind her eyelids.

"But," Aang continued softly, "I can't. Even now, I can't. So I won't."

She looked up at him again, blinking the tears away. He was watching her sadly, longingly, and suddenly the space between them was painful to her. She wanted to close the distance and fold him up in her arms and never let go. But something rooted her feet to the spot.

"I'll fight the firelord without the Avatar State," he said. "For you, Katara."

A brief silence fell over them. Katara took deep breaths, forcing her emotions back down her throat, and made sure that her voice was going to be steady before she spoke. "I don't want you to let me go."

Something in him seemed to break at her words. "I never will."

"Good," she sniffed. "Because I'd hate to make you think you made the wrong choice."

He was just starting to smile again when she crossed the space between them and met it with a kiss.


	3. Just Fine

_I'll just put a warning up here: this one contains smut. _

Katara flexed her fingers a little as Aang's grip on her hand became almost impossibly tight. Despite the shock she had just suffered, and her permanent fear of heights, she was determined to reassure him that she was all right.

"Aang, I'm okay," she murmured in his ear for what felt like the thousandth time. "I promise. I'm just fine."

He didn't answer, but his jaw tightened slightly as he took the glider lower to the ground. Below her, Katara could see a small strip of land surrounded on all sides by water. Apparently, Aang didn't think they had time to make it back to Zuko's camp. With a soft sigh, she shifted his grip on her so she could give his hand a comforting squeeze.

"Aang," she tried again. "Zuko's expecting us back…he'll get worried."

"Zuko will be fine for a little while," he replied, his voice strained, and a moment later, Katara's feet touched grass. Before she could even get a look at where they had landed, Aang was scooping her up in his arms and carrying her swiftly into the little cave that cut into the land like a gaping mouth. Inside it was dark and damp, and the rock he set her on was slimy.

"Aang, please," Katara said, cupping his face in her hands as he knelt before her. "I'm fine, I swear."

But she was highly aware that she certainly did not look fine, and that the sight of her hair, skin, and clothing splattered with blood was affecting his judgment. Now that they had stopped moving, the coppery smell was starting to invade her nose, making her feel sick. The hands on his face shook a bit as she stroked his skin softly. "None of the blood is mine."

"I have to make sure," Aang said, a note of desperation in his voice. In the moonlight streaming in from the mouth of the cave, he was paler than she had ever seen him. "Please, let me…"

After a moment, Katara nodded, her eyes meeting his. She couldn't blame him for acting this way. In the heat of the battle, it had been hard for either of them to really tell what was going on with the other. She still wasn't positive that Aang wasn't hurt, himself, but at least he wasn't covered in blood.

He didn't even wait for her cue. Moving her sticky hair away from her shoulders, Aang began to untie the sash holding her blood-soaked robe closed. Katara kept her eyes on his face as he gently pushed the garment off her shoulders, letting it pool around her waist. From there, he tugged off her boots and pulled her pants down her legs, which she had to shift a little to allow. Once she was sitting there in her underwear, he seemed to hesitate very slightly, and Katara reached up to undo her bindings and tug off her wrappings before he could second-guess himself.

There was a moment of pure silence. They didn't even hear the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks outside. Aang's eyes traveled the length of her naked body, searching out any sign of an injury. Then, his hands came up and began to tenderly probe first at her neck and shoulders, then her arms and wrists. They pressed lightly against her ribcage, just beneath her breasts, testing to see if she had any broken ribs. She sucked in her breath slightly, and his eyes flickered quickly to hers, but she shook her head and motioned for him to continue; the sound hadn't been made from pain. Her heartbeat began to pound in her ears and he moved around her and began to trace the lines of her back, pausing here and there to feel for more injuries. Katara closed her eyes, trying to repress a shiver. She knew he was doing this out of concern for her, but he had no idea how the slightest touch from him could affect her.

After a moment, he moved back around to face her, running his hands down the length of both her legs, pausing at her ankles, carefully rotating each one. She smiled and wiggled her toes at him, demonstrating that she still had complete mobility of both limbs. At that, a lot of tension seemed to drain from his shoulders, and he let out a long breath.

"See?" she said quietly, when he met her eyes once more. "I'm not hurt. I'm fine."

"Right," said Aang, and she was surprised when his voice came out as a croak. His eyes were determinedly staying on her face, but she noticed a telltale flush on his cheeks as he leaned closer to her. "You're fine…you're…_beautiful."_

Suddenly, Katara realized that this was the first time he had ever seen her completely naked.

She blushed so hard and so quickly that it felt like the heat flooded her entire body, but she resisted the urge to cover herself with her arms. Aang's eyes bored into hers, never once flickering away, but she could tell he was making a conscious effort to control himself. Her lips curved up into a soft smile.

"It's okay to look," she murmured, leaning back on her hands. "I don't mind."

The motion finally made Aang drop his eyes as her breasts became more prominent in the silvery light. Katara watched him swallow hard, the Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. He was still crouched in front of her like he was preparing to leap from a springboard.

"Katara…" he said after a moment, his voice somewhat hoarse.

She could feel the last boundary coming down between them at last. She was eighteen, and Aang was sixteen, which made him of legal marrying age according to the laws of her people. And although the two of them had shared many impassioned kisses and (lately) gropes over the past few years, they hadn't yet approached this level of intimacy. The closest they had come was when Katara had accidentally stumbled on him bathing in the river while they were traveling. She had gotten a good glimpse of his body – lean, strong, hard-muscled, and so different from the boy he used to be – and when he hadn't objected, she had joined him in the water with her wraps on. She had explored his body that day, and he had done some exploring of his own…but through her clothes.

It was getting harder for them to control their desires for each other, but something always seemed to get in the way whenever they tried to plan their intimate encounters. There was always traveling and fighting and treaties to worry about. And when it wasn't any of those things, it was Toph or Sokka or even Zuko. Sometimes it was just too hard for them to get moments alone.

But now, there was no one and nothing around to interrupt them. Aang seemed to realize that at about the same time she did.

"Katara," he breathed again, licking his lips.

Katara closed the space between them and kissed him.

The kiss deepened more quickly than she would have liked, but she couldn't help herself. It felt like a whirlwind of pressure was building up inside her and she had to do something to release it. Aang leaned forward into the kiss, but he still wasn't touching her at all. Frustrated, Katara scooted forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him against her. He was forced to place his hands on her thighs to steady himself. She made a pleased sound against his lips.

A moment later, he broke away, breathing hard, and leaned his forehead against hers. His hand had wandered from her thigh up to her hip, and he was making lazy circles against her skin. Their hot breaths mingled together. "Maybe we should head back to camp," Aang whispered against her lips.

Katara shook her head, cupping his cheek in her palm. "I don't want to."

"But…"

"Aang." She pulled back to look in his eyes. "I'm sitting in front of you naked and you honestly want to go back to camp?"

He laughed, and she pressed another quick kiss to his mouth. "Are you nervous?" she asked softly.

He shook his head. "No, it's not that. I just didn't expect it to happen…like this."

"We don't have to do anything," said Katara, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"Katara, I _want _to," Aang insisted, slipping a hand into her hair. "I love you, and I've wanted to show you how much for a long time…but I guess I imagined it would be in a nice, comfy bed and not on a rock in a cave."

She giggled, dropping another kiss on his cheek. "But it's a cave where no one can find us."

"That's true…"

"My brother can't interrupt us…"

Aang shuddered. "Thank the spirits…"

She laughed, and then they both fell silent. Aang's eyes dropped again to her bare breasts, and Katara wondered if he even realized he was staring.

"Touch me," she said after a moment.

He jerked his head up again. "Hmm?"

"Touch me," she repeated, her voice coming out with much more of a purr than she intended. Reaching down, she took one of his hands and placed it over one breast, holding it there. And that seemed to be the invitation that Aang had needed.

He pulled her closer to him, sliding one arm around her waist, and sealed his mouth against hers. Katara gave a soft sigh, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and returning the kiss with enthusiasm. The feeling of her bare skin brushing against the fabric of his robes was nice, but it wasn't enough. Without breaking the kiss, she fumbled with the knot that tied it together. When it came loose, her hands roved the smooth, toned planes of his chest, loving how much harder his body was than her own. While his hand kneaded pleasurably at her breast, she leaned in and pressed her lips against the spot just below his ear, where she knew he liked to be kissed. He let out a small groan and pulled her off the rock completely, so that she was straddling his lap.

They blinked at each other.

"Hi," said Aang, smiling shyly.

"Hi," she returned, a little breathlessly.

For a moment, he simply gazed at her adoringly. Then, "I love you."

The words were so honest and genuine that Katara's heart skipped a beat. "Then show me."

Aang swallowed hard, then nodded.

Stripping off his outer robes, he gently moved her so that he could lay them beneath her as a makeshift blanket on the hard ground. Now clothed only in his pants, Aang took a deep breath and leaned over her until they were nose to nose, his hands on either side of her head. She stared up into his eyes with her own deep blue ones, her breath coming slightly unevenly. He smiled at her.

"We shouldn't be nervous…we've known each other for four years, and been together for most of that time…"

Katara shook her head. "I'm not nervous, Aang. I'm just…anticipating."

Aang shivered, and dipped down to kiss her. He had intended to keep the kiss rather short and sweet, but Katara grabbed the back of his head and deepened it with a sweep of her tongue over his lower lip, and he willingly melted into her with a groan. His body had begun to respond to her as soon as the knowledge of her nudity had truly set in, and now that he was sandwiched between her legs, he was sure she was aware of it. Aang groaned again as his hardness brushed against her stomach, breaking the kiss and burying his face in her neck. He knew his body was ready for this, and clearly hers was too, but Aang still felt like it wasn't the right time. Not for _that, _anyway. Despite the way she was clinging to him in encouragement, he knew she had to be uncomfortable, even with his robes cushioning her. The cave floor was very unforgiving.

"Katara," he murmured against her skin, dropping a kiss on her clavicle. He tasted blood on his lips and jerked back with a gasp; she had shed her bloody clothing, but there were still traces of the lives of other men on her skin. Raising a hand, he pulled droplets of water from the stalactites above them and gathered them in his fingers, then moved it gently over her body, washing away the blood. She looked at him with soft eyes as he completely cleansed her, trying not to shiver as the cold water dried on her skin. Goosebumps prickled over her anyway, and she drew herself closer to him for warmth.

"I was scared," he whispered, hardly aware at first that he was saying the words. "I was _so _scared –"

"I know, Aang. I know." She cupped his cheeks, pulled his head down so that their foreheads touched. He brushed another kiss against her lips, which quickly became two, and three, and four. Katara locked her legs around his waist, bringing him flush against her, and out of instinct he rolled his hips gently against hers. She moaned low in her throat, dragging her lips down his jaw, and Aang closed his eyes. Her hands wandered down his bare chest, trailing fire in their wake; as they reached his waist, Aang gently caught her hands in his and kissed her knuckles.

"Let me do something for you," he said softly, eyes flickering again to hers, and Katara caught her breath at the heat she saw in his gaze. He had looked at her like that before, but there was something in his eyes now that told her that this wasn't going to end without her body going completely boneless. It caused a twinge of heat to flare between her legs, and her toes curled slightly against his back.

"What?" she whispered back.

Instead of answering her, he simply lowered his head to give her another kiss, before moving to drop another on her neck, and then her chest. He lingered briefly over the peak of one breast, laving his tongue over it and prompting Katara to gasp and arch her back. But he pulled away far too quickly, trailing his kisses down her belly toward one hip. He pressed his mouth against the bone, lingering there, and she reached out to trace the blue tattoo on his forehead.

"Aang?"

He looked up at her again. "Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

A slight smirk. "Just trust me."

She nodded; trusting Aang was never an issue for her. She had trusted him from the very first day they had met, and he had never given her any reason for her faith to waver. "Of course."

His smirk widened, and then he wiggled down further so that he was situated between her legs. Taking one of her smooth thighs into his hands, he pressed another open-mouthed, lingering kiss over the sensitive inner skin. A visible shiver ran through her body, and she closed her eyes – but they shot right back open at the first touch of his mouth on the heat between her legs.

"What are you doing?" she breathed again in surprise, lifting her head to look down at him.

Aang peered up at her, flushing a bit. "Er, kissing you?"

Katara went even redder. "Between my legs?"

"Well, yes."

"Where did you get an idea like that?"

Aang hesitated. "I'm not sure you want to know."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I want to know?"

He scratched at the back of his head awkwardly. "Because…I kinda got the idea from your brother."

The color immediately drained from Katara's face. "My _brother? Blegh! _Why would my brother suggest that you do _that?"_

"He didn't suggest that I do it to you!" Aang said hurriedly, holding up his hands. "He was talking about how he'd done it to—"

"Okay, okay, I don't need to hear anything else," Katara said, cutting him off swiftly with a grimace.

"It—it feels good," Aang insisted, flushing anew. "Remember when you…touched me? When we were in that lake?"

"Yes," said Katara immediately, because she had been dwelling on that memory a lot lately. "But that was—"

"I know it was different. But this has…the same effect. I guess." Aang couldn't really tell her for sure what it was going to feel like. "Katara, you _do _trust me, right?"

She breathed out. "Yes, Aang, of course I do…I'm sorry."

He shook his head, dropping another kiss on her thigh. "Don't worry about it, sweetie."

Katara nudged him gently with her knee. "You can keep going…" Grinning, Aang lowered his head back down.

The first lap of his tongue was still surprising, but after another, Katara's legs began to fall apart of their own accord, and she let her head fall back onto the makeshift pillow of his clothing. Aang gripped her thighs, working his mouth over her small bud, keeping the strokes of his tongue slow and steady. A moment later, Katara let out a hoarse cry; she couldn't believe something like this felt so good. Her hand came down to rest against the back of his head, pressing him down more firmly against her. In response, Aang groaned and increased his speed, already drunk on her flavor. Encouraged, he ran his tongue further down her slit and dipped it inside her, which made her gasp and arch her back. Soothing her with one hand making circles on her hip, he used the other to circle her nub with his thumb. She moaned, pressing down again on his head, and Aang could tell at that moment that she was lamenting his lack of hair.

After a few minutes of this, Katara brought herself closer by lifting her legs and resting her feet flat against his back, whimpering. "Aang…"

Hearing his name like that on her lips made him lick at her with even more passion, his hands tightening on her legs. His initial reaction to this idea had been similar to hers, but now that he was doing it, he could understand why so many couples apparently loved doing this. Just the thought of having Katara's mouth on _him _like this nearly drove him over the edge.

Just then, Katara's own climax broke over her, and she shuddered in his arms, his name being dragged raggedly again from her throat. Aang shuddered with her, closing his eyes and keeping his mouth on her until her tremors died down. Then he moved up to lay his head against her hip, his fingers making light circles again on her side. The air was filled with the sounds of their labored breathing and the light rain falling on the stones outside. Before Aang had properly caught his breath, he felt Katara's lightly trembling fingers on his forehead.

"Aang." Her voice was soft, but full of love.

He lifted his head and moved back up her body, meeting her halfway as she leaned up to kiss him. Aang sighed and wrapped his arms tightly around her, and her arms locked themselves just as tightly around his neck. When they broke away, she was nearly straddling his lap, their hips pressed together. Aang bit his lip as his hardness ground into her; even through his pants, he could feel her heat, and was desperate to lose himself in it.

Instead, he rested his hand against the back of her neck and kissed her again. "Not here," he said quietly.

She looked confused. "Why not?"

He pointed at the rocks around them. "This isn't the most comfortable place to do something like that…especially for the first time. I don't want you to get bruised."

She sighed, rubbing at her back. "I guess it isn't ideal…" The disappointment in her voice made Aang want nothing more than to lay her back down and let their instincts take over. "But what if we don't get a chance to be alone like this again anytime soon?"

He grinned, grabbing her robe and wrapping it around her with another kiss. "I'll make it happen, Katara. Just trust me."

Another sound kiss was his only answer.


End file.
